Film winding device for coil-type developers



C United States Patel: 11113541370 [72] inventors Leopold Karl [56] References Cited unfel'durrPach; UNITED STATES PATENTS f g fg waldbm'bmnn Germany 2,297,525 9/1942 Anheuser 242/76 P 3,062,469 11/1962 Smith 242/77.1 [22] Filed Nov. 22, 1968 F 1451 Patented Dec. 15, 1970 OREIGN [73] Assignee Kindermann 8; Co., G.m.b.H. 645,568 1 H1 950 Great Brltam 1. 242/76 OchsenfurKMain), Germany 1,308,166 9/ I962 France 1. 242/76 a corporation of Germany Primary Examiner-Nathan L. Mintz [32] Pnomy May131968 AttorneyEdwin E. Greigg [33] Germany [3!] No. 1,772,418

ABSTRACT: A device for winding undeveloped films on a developer coil, said device including (a) a spindle to which the [54] FILM g DEVICE FOR COILTYPE coil is attached for the winding operation; (b) a pivotally F g i secured guiding tongue for assisting in the insertion of the film 5 Chums rawmg into the coil and (c) a resilient strip affixed to said tongue and [52] U.S. Cl. 242/76 provided with a detent notch to temporarily interlockingly en- [5 I] Int. Cl B65h 27/00 gage said coil and thus immobilize said tongue with respect to [50] Field of Search... 242/77.l, said coil and to prevent said coil from axial displacement with 76 respect to said spindle.

' PATENTED 0501 5 ram sum 1 or 2 NW N IIH PATENTEB DEC 1 5 I976 SHEET 2 BF 2 Inventor.-

FILM WINDING DEVICE FOR COIL-TYPE DEVELOPERS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a film-winding device for developer coils having spaced turns and supported by radially extending braces; said device generally includes a handle provided with a laterally offstanding spindle to which the developer coil may be attached. At one end of the handle there is pivotally secured a guiding tongue assisting in the insertion of the undeveloped film into the coil. Said tongue, when in its operative, inserting position, engages, with an abutting element, the end of the developer coil.

Devices of the aforeoutlined types are know where the guiding tongue, with its abutting element, has to be urged against the end of the developer coil or spiral during the threading of the film into the spiral in order to maintain the tongue with respect to the developer spiral at an angle required for drawing in the film. Such a manipulation is'complicated particularly during the initial threading of the film because usually only a single hand is available both for holding the device and for engaging the tongue. The other hand is used to thread the film. Due to the fact that the winding of the film has to be performed in a darkroom, it is usually diffi cult to bring the abutting element of the guiding tongue into contact with the end of the spiral and to hold it there, considering that for this operation only the small finger of the one hand holding the device is available.

OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to avoid the aforenoted inconvenience by providing an improved film-winding device of the aforenoted type that permits a rapid and simple manipulation.

Briefly stated, according to the invention, the abutting element on the guiding tongue associated with the coil-type film developer is formed as a resilient strip provided with a detent notch which cooperates with one of the radial braces supporting the developer spiral. Subsequent to the insertion of the developer coil on its spindle; the strip with its detent notch may be brought into interlocking engagement with a brace of the coil by simple manipulation, thus immobilizing the guiding tongue in an operative position and also preventing the coil from slipping off the spindle. As a result, the threading of the film may be performed without difficulty or delay.

The invention will be better understood, as well as further objects and advantages will become more apparent, from the ensuing detailed specification of a preferred, although exemplary, embodiment taken in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same embodiment; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one part of the same embodiment at an enlarged scale. I

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT To a handle 1 which is provided with a circumferential flange 2 there is secured a laterally offstanding spindle 3 which serves as an axial holding means for the developer coil generally indicated at 4. The developer coil comprises two loosely wound wire spirals 4a and 4b, each having turns 5 and each being maintained in an axially spaced position by radially and axially extending braces 6, The terminus 7 of the spiral 4a is secured to one of the braces 6, while the terminus of the spiral 4b is bent outwardly to form a manually engageable lever 8.

Adjacent the axis of the developer spiral 4, one of the braces 6 holds on its axially extending portion, a clasp-shaped takeup member 9 having an integral detentspike 10 for holding the inserted film 11 (shown in phantom lines).

The film 11 is guided into the developer spiral 4 by means of a guiding tongue 12 which is pivotally secured to a shaft 13 affixed to flange 2. To the forward end of the tongue 12 there is secured a detent strip 14 formed of a flat resilient metallic or plastic material. As particularly well seen in FIG. I, the strip 14 is twisted so that adjacent tongue 12, its plane is normal to the axis of spindle 3, while subsequently it extends parallel thereto. Thus, the strip 14 is resilient in the transversal direction of inserting tongue 12. On its lateral edge adjacent the handle 1 and in the vicinity of its free end remote from tongue 12, the strip 14 has a detent notch 15 in which nests in the operative position of the tongue 12, a circumferential portion of brace 6 attached to the spiral end 7. In this position, depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, the strip 14 penetrates into the space between two spiral turns 5 from the inside of the developer spiral 4. The free terminal edge 16 of the strip 14 is slanted to facilitate engagement of notch 15 with the brace 6 as will be seen later. The outline of detent notch 15 comprises a leading edge 17 slanting opposite the direction of eventual film winding operation, and a trailing edge 18 substantially normal to the axis of the terminal, radial portion of brace 6. The function of edges 17, 18 of detent notch 15 will become more apparent from the ensuing description of the operation of the embodiment.

OPERATION OF THE EMBODIMENT First, the empty developer spiral 4 is attached to spindle 3 with one hand, while the other hand grasps and holds handle 1. This stage is shown in FIG. 3. It is seen that tongue 12 is in its inoperative position and strip 14 is entirely disconnected from spiral 4a.

As a second step, the tongue 12 is turned upward about shaft 13 (counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 1), until the free end of strip 14 engages the top face of the outside turn of spiral 4a.

As a third step, the developer coil 4 is rotated clockwise as viewed in FIG. 1 by slowly cranking the lever 8. Strip 14 is meanwhile held against spiral 4a as described in step 2. During the course of said clockwise rotation of developer coil 4, the leading slanted edge 16 of strip 14 engages brace 6 immediately adjacent the spiral terminus 7 and, as coil 4 continues to rotate, the strip 14 is resiliently displaced towards spiral 4b in a direction substantially parallel to spindle 3. Eventually, detent notch 15 and said brace 6 arrive into alignment, at which instant notch 15 snaps into interlocking engagement with brace 6 immediately adjacent the spiral terminus 7. In this stage, illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tongue 12 is locked in an operative position ready to guide the film to be attached to spike 10, and the developer coil 4 is locked against axial displacement with respect to spindle 3. It is to be noted that after notch 15 snaps in place, further clockwise rotation of coil 4 is prevented by virtue of an abutting relationship between edge 18 of notch 15 and brace 6.

In a fourth step, the device is held in one hand by handle 1, and, with the other hand, the film 11, the leading end portion of which is cut to have a tapered shape, is forwarded towards the spike 10 of takeup member 9 while guided by tongue 12. The position of the film at this stage is indicated by phantom lines in FIG. 2.

Fifthly, the leading end portion of film 11 is secured to spike 10.

It will be noted that during the fourth and fifth steps it is important that tongue 12 be maintained in its operative, guiding position. In similar devices of the prior art this was achieved by continuously urging, with one finger of the hand holding the handle 1, the tongue'lZ into its proper position. According to the invention, however, not only is the tongue 12 securely locked in its operative position and thus no manual assistance for so maintaining it is necessary, but a highly undesireable axial slippage of coil 4 on spindle 3 is also effectively prevented without continuous manual assistance.

In a sixth step, subsequent to securing the film 11 to spike 10, the film winding operation is started by cranking the handle 8 to effect a counterclockwise (as viewed in FIG. 1) rotation of developer coil 4. As the coil 4 starts to rotate, the brace 6, acting as a cam, rides up on slanting edge 17 of detent notch 15 displacing strip 14 towards spiral 4b in a direction parallel with the axis of spindle 3. As a result, detent notch 15 and brace 6 become disengaged. As the counterclockwise rotation of coil 4 continues, the film is wound by drawing it in between the spaces of the individual turns of coil 4.

Finally, upon completion of the winding operation, the coil 4, with the film wound on it, may be lifted off spindle 3, because strip 14, since the disengagement of notch from brace 6, no longer prevents an axial displacement of coil 4 on spindle 3.

We claim:

1. ln a device for winding film on a developer coil formed of a pair of spaced, loosely wound spirals maintained in place by radially extending braces, said device being of the type that includes a spindle rotatably and removably holding said coil and a pivotally secured tongue for guiding said film into said coil,

, the improvement comprising, detent means formed of a resilient strip secured at one end to said tongue and movable therewith, said strip including a detent notch to interlockingly engage a portion of one of said braces when said tongue is pivoted into an operative position, said tongue being immobilized with respect to said coil and said coil being prevented from displacement on said spindle by the interlocking engagement between said detent notch of said strip and said portion of said brace.

2. The improvement as defined in claim 1, wherein said strip has a resiliency in a direction parallel to the axis of said spindle.

3. The improvement as defined in claim 2, wherein said strip is disposed in such a manner that upon rotation of said coil about said spindle, it penetrates into the space between two subsequent turns of one of said spirals and snaps into said interlocking engagement.

4. The improvement as defined in claim 2, wherein said strip has a slanted leading edge to cooperate with said radially extending portion of said brace prior to said interlocking engagement.

5. The improvement as defined in claim 1, wherein said detent notch has a leading edge slanting opposite the direction of rotation of said coil for winding said film, said detent notch further has a trailing edge extending substantially normal to said radial portion of said brace. 

